Helaman 4: Wickedness and Its Consequences

Book of Mormon Student Study Guide, (2000), 146–147

Prosperity can lead to wickedness. Wickedness can then lead to destruction. This is true not only for the Nephites but for people today. Why must we be threatened with destruction before we recognize that we are in spiritual difficulty? Why didn’t the Nephites obey the Lord both in good times and bad? In Helaman 4, Mormon described what happened when prosperity led to wickedness. His words may also apply to us and to some aspects of our society today.

Studying the Scriptures

The Universal Sin

1.

It has been said that pride is the universal sin, meaning that nearly every sin is somehow related to pride. In your notebook, draw this relationship by placing the word pride in the center of a page. Circle the word and draw arrows out from the circle in every direction. At the end of each of the arrows, list one of the sins that Helaman 4:12–13 says came about because of the pride of the Nephites.

2.

Choose three of the sins you wrote down and explain how pride could lead to that type of sin.

3.

What does Helaman 3:35 say we can do to prevent or eliminate pride from our lives and thus prevent many different sins?

Now I See

1.

Find and highlight the phrase “they saw” in Helaman 4:23–26 and list the consequences of sin the Nephites saw.

2.

What blessing has the Lord provided to help us “see” the consequences in advance so that we do not have to experience them? (see Mosiah 8:16–18).

3.

Give a specific example of a consequence the Lord helped you or your family recognize and avoid because of this blessing.